Thomas LeBlanc
President, George Washington University
LeBlanc had hardly taken over as president with its sprawling downtown campus in 2017 when he found himself facing problems following a racially offensive media post for which a college sorority took responsibility. “The incident has clearly signaled that racial tension at the university needs to be confronted,” LeBlanc stated in a message to the 11,504-strong student body.
“Acts against black students on this campus will not be tolerated.” He introduced mandatory diversity training for incoming students and for the entire college staff.
In addition, GW faces the common nationwide problem of lower enrollment by foreigners because the Trump Administration’s new immigration laws have led to tighter restrictions on student visas.
Because foreign students tend to pay full tuition, any reduction in enrollment bites into college income. In 2017, about 78,000 fewer visas were issued to students nationwide, a drop of 17 percent from the previous year and nearly 40 percent from 2015.